So, while the Prime Minister takes a day trip to Blackpool in his private aircraft for a photo opportunity, four of his closest advisors and senior aides, including Munira Mirza, who has worked with him for over a decade, depart 10, Downing Street. Although a clear-out had been promised, it is worth reminding ourselves that these are not staff he inherited, but staff he himself hand-picked to run his Downing Street operation, summoning Martin Reynolds, a diplomat, back from Libya to work for him as his PPS. So although there is talk of ‘getting a grip’ and a reformed Downing Street operation, and much blaming of the civil service in private, the atmosphere of total chaos and dysfunctionality is recent and of this administration’s making: not so much about the structure and lines of command, as Sue Gray suggested, but about the people and how they have operated during the pandemic, no doubt an exceptionally stressful period, but it doesn’t look good if his closest allies have all walked the plank simultaneously, together with Munira Mirza’s carefully restrained, but still effective torpedo letter of resignation.